National Security in The People's Republic of China

The People's Liberation Army (PLA), with its 2.25 million active troops, is
currently the largest military in the world.[31] The PLA consists of an army,
navy, air force, and strategic nuclear force. The official budget of the PLA
for 2005 is $30 billion,[32] possibly excluding foreign weapons purchases, military
research and development, and the People's Armed Police, a paramilitary force.

The PRC, despite possession of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, is widely
seen by military researchers both within and outside of China as having only
limited power projection capability, so it is not yet considered to be a true
superpower, though it is widely regarded as a major regional power. This is
due to the limited effectiveness of its navy, which has no aircraft carriers,
and a large but obsolete air force.

Much progress has been made in the last decade and the PRC continues to make
efforts to modernize its military. It has purchased state-of-the-art fighter
jets from Russia, such as the Su-30s, and has also produced its own modern fighters,
specifically the Chinese J-10s and the J-11s. It has also acquired and improved
upon the Russian S-300 Surface-to-Air missile systems, which are considered
to be among the best aircraft-intercepting systems in the world.[35] The PRC's
armoured and rapid-reaction forces have been updated with enhanced electronics
and targeting capabilities. In recent years, much attention has been focused
on building a navy with blue-water capability.

For more details on China's national security, see the following topics: